LlwynypiaLlwynypia (Welsh: Llwyn-y-pïa [ˌɬʊɪnəˈpiːja]) is a village and
community in
RhonddaRhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, near
TonypandyTonypandy in the Rhondda
Fawr Valley. Before 1850 a lightly populated rural farming area,
LlwynypiaLlwynypia experienced a population boom between 1860 and 1920 with the
sinking of several coal mines after the discovery of large coal
deposits throughout the
RhonddaRhondda Valleys.
The Welsh name means "the grove of the Magpie" or "Magpie's Bush" and
was taken from the name of a farm that once existed in the area.

Early history[edit]
Situated on the River
RhonddaRhondda Fawr where the river changes direction
from south-east to southerly,
LlwynypiaLlwynypia holds evidence of human
habitation from the
Bronze AgeBronze Age through to modern times. On Mynydd y
Gelli, a hill overlooking the area to the west, lies the Iron Age
settlement of Hen Dre'r Gelli, a site which also has several Bronze
Age cairns.

In 1850 the first mine was sunk in the upper
RhonddaRhondda in
TreherbertTreherbert but
it was not until 1859 that Isaac Smith, manager of the Church
Colliery, first attempted to prospect the area for coal when he opened
a small level beneath
LlwynypiaLlwynypia Farm. After encountering numerous
problems, Smith abandoned the level but in 1862 another entrepreneur,
the Scottish mining engineer Archibald Hood, leased land at Llwynypia
and sank the
LlwynypiaLlwynypia No. 1 pit in 1863. Although facing many
difficulties at the No. 1 pit, Hood continued in his endeavours and by
1873 had sunk 4 more pits, now under the name of the Glamorgan Coal
Company. Hood was a popular figure in the area and his mines became
known as the 'Scotch mines', after Hood himself and the number of
Scottish miners who followed him to live and work in Llwynypia. After
Hood's death in 1902, he received many tributes from his workforce,
and in 1906 a statue of him was unveiled by
RhonddaRhondda MP William Abraham
outside the
LlwynypiaLlwynypia Miners' institute. Much of the cost of the
statue was met by donations from the miners of his pits.
In 1908 the Glamorgan Colliery became part of the Cambrian Combine
Company and, in 1910–1911, was a scene of violent clashes during the
TonypandyTonypandy Riots.
The very high quality of
RhonddaRhondda coal was recognised by the Admiralty
which specified it as the fuel of choice for the steam ships of the
Royal NavyRoyal Navy from the late 19th century. The
LlwynypiaLlwynypia pits were
extracting excellent coking coals and, by the time of World War I, the
village housed around 140 coke ovens. By-products of the coke
distillation process was used to light the mines and the narrow
streets of miners' cottages known as "terraces". Some of the terraces
have been widened but others remain so narrow that a single car can
barely pass through.
On 25 January 1932, a gas explosion occurred at the colliery. Eleven
workers were killed in the incident, two of whom were members of the
rescue party. All perished after inhaling afterdamp following the
explosion.
By 1936, of the original six pits opened at the Glamorgan, two
remained in operation, employing only 560 workers, as against 2904
employed in 1923. The colliery was eventually closed in August 1945.
Notable buildings[edit]
Built in the early 1900s on the site of the Glyncornel farm, owned by
the DeWinton family, Hen Glyncornel is one of the most imposing houses
in the village. Built by
Archibald HoodArchibald Hood for his son William, this
building was then surpassed by nearby Glyncornel House which was built
by the Cambrian
CoalCoal Combine for senior management, but was turned
into a maternity hospital in 1939 by
RhonddaRhondda Borough Council.[2]
LlwynypiaLlwynypia is also home to the largest hospital in the Rhondda.
LlwynypiaLlwynypia hospital was built in the early 1900s, originally as a
workhouse, later becoming a general hospital. As the only village with
maternity facilities in the Rhondda, most residents from the area over
the last century have
LlwynypiaLlwynypia as their place of birth on their birth
certificates. Llwynypia's accident and emergency unit was closed in
the 1990s and the closest A&E unit is now at Llantrisant's Royal
Glamorgan Hospital.
Transport[edit]
The
Llwynypia railway stationLlwynypia railway station is served and operated by Arriva Trains
WalesWales on the
RhonddaRhondda Line from Cardiff.
Sport and leisure[edit]
LlwynypiaLlwynypia was once home to
LlwynypiaLlwynypia Rugby Football Club. The club
played in the Glamorgan leagues and was affiliated to the Welsh Rugby
Union providing many trialists and Welsh international rugby union
players. The club disbanded in the 1930s during the depression like
many
RhonddaRhondda clubs, but unlike teams such as Treherbert, did not
recover.
Welsh international footballer
Rob PageRob Page was born in the village.
LlwynypiaLlwynypia is the spiritual home of Field Archery in the UK. The
Glyncornel Field Archery Centre became the home of Pentref Bowmen in
1967. The Club hosted the All British & Open Field Archery
Championships for the first 25 years from its inception in 1967. It
now hosts the national championships on a rotational basis with other
UK venues.
The Field Archery World Championships were held at Glyncornel in
September 1970. A clubhouse was built for the event and is still used
for year-round indoor shooting.
The World Championships returned 38 years later when
LlwynypiaLlwynypia held
the qualification rounds of the 2008 World Field Archery
Championships.[3]
Notable people[edit]

AberdareAberdare Girls' School
AberdareAberdare High School
Blaengwawr Comprehensive School
Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School
Coleg y Cymoedd
Hawthorn High School
Mountain Ash Comprehensive School
PontypriddPontypridd High School
St. John the Baptist School
TreorchyTreorchy Comprehensive School
University of South Wales
Y Pant School
Ysgol Gyfun Cymer Rhondda
Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg
Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari
Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun